Key Takeaways
- Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios have invested more than £5 billion in UK television, film, and live sport.
- Day calls on the industry to embrace AI as a tool to unleash creativity.
- Day pointed to a long-form storytelling boom driven by young audiences as a reason for optimism about the future of television.
Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios have invested more than £5 billion in UK television, film, live sport and production, Kelly Day, VP of International at Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, revealed during her keynote address at the Royal Television Society (RTS) London Convention on 29 September.
The figure, up from the £1 billion investment announced in 2022, underscores what Day described as an acceleration of Amazon's commitment to the UK's creative industries.
"Across Amazon, Prime Video, and Amazon MGM Studios, we're here, we're staying, we're investing, and we're building," Day said.
The speech marked the first time Amazon has chaired the annual convention, with Tara Erer, Director of Northern European Originals, UK Unscripted and Film at Amazon MGM Studios, serving as this year's Convention Chair.
The UK is one of Amazon MGM Studios' largest production hubs outside the U.S.
Day outlined the scale of Prime Video's footprint in the UK, describing it as one of the company's most important production bases outside the U.S.
“More than 90 scripted and unscripted productions filmed here in the last decade, from Bait and The Girlfriend to the All or Nothing football documentaries,” she said.
Some of Amazon MGM Studios' most ambitious global titles are filmed in the UK, including The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Tomb Raider, Project Hail Mary, and The Thomas Crown Affair.
To support that growth, Prime Video has invested in studio infrastructure, including a long-term lease and expansion of Shepperton Studios and the acquisition of Bray Studios near Windsor.
AI unleashes creativity
Another key theme of Day's address was the role of artificial intelligence in the future of television and why the industry should see it as an opportunity, not a threat.
"AI is the next shift. And I believe it's the biggest yet," she said. "What excites me about it is how we are putting transformative tools directly into the hands of creators."
Day pointed to ways AI is already helping filmmakers and production companies, from generating concept art and short films that bring pitches to life, to enabling smaller teams to produce high-quality animation without prohibitive costs.
"That's not a threat to creativity. That's creativity unleashed," Day said. "AI doesn't replace imagination. It amplifies it."
Young audiences are driving a long-form storytelling boom
Day challenged the narrative that short-form video is eroding attention spans, pointing instead to what she described as an insatiable appetite among young adult audiences for quality long-form storytelling.
For instance, Season 3 of The Summer I Turned Pretty drew 70 million viewers in its first 70 days; Off Campus reached 36 million viewers in just 12 days; Maxton Hall saw over 90% of its audience come from outside Germany; and the Spanish Culpables trilogy was watched by more than 100 million people worldwide.
"This generation has the biggest appetite for original storytelling we've ever seen," Day said. "They're not going anywhere. The question is whether we're ambitious enough to meet them where they are."
She described these viewers not as passive consumers but as "superfans" who build communities around characters and stories on platforms like BookTok, Wattpad, and WebToon long before a single frame is shot, and who continue to engage long after a show has aired. “TikTok isn't the competition, it's the marketing department," Day explained.
Investing in the next generation of UK talent
As part of the continued commitment to the UK, Tara Erer highlighted Prime Video Pathway, Amazon MGM Studios' flagship UK training initiative, which is designed to open up careers in film and television to people across the country.
"At Amazon MGM Studios, our commitment to the UK goes beyond what's on screen," Erer said. "We've committed £16 million to skills and training, opening up access to careers in film and television for people right across the country, with schemes such as the NFTS Production Coordinator apprenticeships, The TV Freelancers Reskill and Upskill Program, a Scripted Directors Workshop, a Black and Textured hair course and many more—because everyone deserves a way in."
Erer noted that 85% of the programme's apprentices have gone on to secure placements in the industry. "We're not just opening doors; we're building careers," she said.
A rallying cry for the industry
Day went onto call for collaboration, urging the industry to seize the moment rather than retreat to familiar ground.
"The investment is there. The tools to connect with audiences are better than they've ever been. The next generation of viewers is telling us they want more, not less. AI will help us get there faster," she said.
Prime Video's continued investment in UK television is part of a wider picture. Amazon has operated in the UK for almost 30 years, employs over 75,000 permanent staff, placing it among the country's top ten private sector employers, and in 2025 announced a planned £40 billion investment in the UK over three years.
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